HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - New statistics by the Department of Commerce found that Hanford is the cheapest place to live among California’s metro cities.  Compared to the national average, living in Hanford is 2% cheaper overall. While that may not seem significant, housing costs are approximately 31% lower. "I've been an agent for 16 years, but I've been saying that Hanford is the most affordable housing for the last nine," said Carrie Johnson-Coppola, real estate agent for London Properties.  In California, the median house price is just under $800,000. Coppola said in Hanford, "Our median price right now, is $365,000 for a three bedroom, two bath." Being centrally located, she said many of her clients are moving from larger metro areas to call Hanford home. "As far as like San Francisco, all the way to Southern California, it's a three-hour drive, the foothills and the beach is a two-hour drive," Coppola said. The city is not only growing in population, with nearly 10,000 new residents in the past 10 years, but the options for shopping and dining are also flowing in. "There's several developers that we're working within the area that continue to have an interest in Hanford, and we do listen to the public and we understand exactly what they'd like to see in the community, and we're trying to bring that here," said Mario Cifuentez, Hanford's City Manager. Hanford isn't the only Central Valley city that fares well against the national average. The cost of living is 1% cheaper in Merced than the national average, 1% higher in Visalia, 3% higher in Madera, and 4% higher for folks in Fresno. But not all the news is good; Central Valley residents pay 40% more for utilities than the average American.